Category 2: Content Performance Metrics

Content metrics reveal how effectively your posts engage audiences and build relationships. These numbers separate casual LinkedIn users from strategic content creators who consistently generate opportunities.

Post Impressions

Impressions measure total times your content appeared in someone's LinkedIn feed, regardless of whether they engaged.

Why It Matters: Impressions show how LinkedIn's algorithm treats your content. Consistently low impressions despite decent follower counts suggest content strategy problems or suboptimal posting times.

Performance Benchmarks:

Basic performance: 500-2,000 impressions per post
Good performance: 2,000-10,000 impressions per post
Exceptional performance: 10,000+ impressions per post

Important Note: Impressions alone don't predict business outcomes. High impressions with low engagement often indicate content reaches wrong audiences or fails to resonate.

Members Reached

Members reached shows unique individuals who saw your post—different from impressions, which count multiple views by the same person.

Why It Matters: This metric provides clearer audience size pictures for each post. The ratio between members reached and impressions reveals whether content gets repeated exposure or reaches new audiences.

Strategic Insight: When members reached significantly exceeds follower count, LinkedIn's algorithm considers your content valuable enough to show beyond your immediate network - a strong positive signal.

Engagement Rate

Engagement rate measures the percentage of impressions that generated interactions (reactions, comments, shares, clicks).

The Formula:

Engagement Rate = (Total Interactions ÷ Impressions) × 100

Why It Matters: Engagement rate reveals content effectiveness at generating audience interaction—LinkedIn's primary quality signal. The algorithm rewards high engagement with broader distribution.

Performance Benchmarks by Industry: According to verified industry research:

Overall average: 2-5% engagement rate
Good performance: 5-8% engagement rate
Exceptional performance: 8%+ engagement rate
B2B SaaS and Tech: 3.5-5%
Professional Services: 5-6%
Education and Non-profits: 6-8%

Reactions, Comments, and Shares

These represent different engagement depths, each providing distinct insights:

Reactions (likes, celebrate, love, insightful, support):

Easiest engagement form requiring minimal effort
Indicates content resonated enough for acknowledgment
Provides quick performance gauge
Different reaction types reveal how content resonated

Comments:

Highest-quality engagement requiring most effort
Represents genuine interest and conversation desire
Significantly boosts algorithmic distribution
Creates relationship-building opportunities

Shares (Reposts):

Ultimate content compliment—endorsement to entire network
Dramatically amplifies reach to new audiences
Relatively rare compared to other engagement types
Strong signal of valuable, share-worthy content

Video View Rate

For video content, view rate shows the percentage of viewers who watched significant portions.

Why It Matters: View rate indicates content quality and audience interest. High view rates mean video content compellingly holds attention in fast-scrolling environments.

Performance Context: LinkedIn counts a view after 3 seconds, but valuable engagement comes from longer durations - viewers watching 50%+ of your video demonstrate high engagement.

Profile Viewers from Post

This metric shows how many people viewed your profile after seeing a specific post.

Why It Matters: Profile views from posts indicate content was compelling enough to make people curious about your background and experience. These represent your warmest prospects for networking, partnerships, or business opportunities.

Performance Benchmarks:

Good performance: 10-50 profile viewers per post
Exceptional performance: 50+ profile viewers per post

Strategic Application: Posts driving significant profile views typically showcase expertise, provide exceptional value, or clearly connect to your professional background. Analyze these posts to identify successful content patterns.

Followers Gained from Post

Tracking followers gained from individual posts reveals which content most effectively grows your audience.

Why It Matters: These are highly qualified followers - people who discovered you through content value and actively decided to subscribe to future updates. They're more likely to engage consistently and become genuine professional connections.